By Fiona McAuslan, Eastside People strategic communications consultant.
Eastside People’s Festival of Trusteeship, during Trustees’ Week 3-7 November 2025, offers opportunity aplenty for all trustees whether first-timers or old hands to skill up on governance.
Yet it’s not just trustees who benefit from this. The webinars, panel discussions and talks hold insights for all decision makers and that includes chief execs. Taking the learning back to the boardroom to benefit trustees who were unable (or unwilling!) to come is a sure-fire way to embed stronger governance, better board-team relations and, by extension, greater impact.
Here are some areas that often prove problematic, alongside some suggested sessions that are packed with tips and insights to shape your board and influence trustee behaviour.
These sessions are ideal for CEOs to come along – and bring their board too.
Helping trustees understand your role
What does a CEO do when they’re not in a board meeting? How is the charity actually run? By sharing experiences gleaned from a panel of diverse CEOs you can guide trustees to respect boundaries, understand operational realities, and offer meaningful strategic support rather than micro-managing on an operational level.
Session: Behind the scenes – what trustees should know about being a charity CEO
Making meetings more effective
Need a couple of tricks up your sleeve for managing trustees who dominate meetings or insist they know the right answer? Small tweaks, like smarter agendas, feedback forms, and clear decision-making processes can transform meetings from tedious to dynamic and help you maintain your position as a CEO. Conversely more reticent trustees can be brought forward with techniques for facilitating inclusive discussion and spotting trustees about to quiet quit.
Session: Governance hacks – easy wins for your board
Building constructive challenge
Disagreement on a board isn’t the problem but badly handled conflict is. For CEOs with trustees who dominate conversations or resist being challenged, or veer the other way and suffer from nodding dog syndrome, learning how to facilitate constructive challenge is essential. You’ll gain techniques for spotting groupthink, encouraging balanced debate, and turning strong opinions into stronger decisions, all while supporting your chair to keep meetings running on time.
Session: Challenge accepted – how to disagree well on boards
Addressing bad trustee behaviour
They may be hard pushed to admit it, but most trustees (and chief execs too) have an inner prat who struggles free every now and then. Behind the light-hearted session name is a serious take on how governance can be derailed by poor board behaviours. A panel of seasoned trustees ‘fess up to their pratfalls and share the learnings of their mistakes with practical strategies to spot, manage, and gently course-correct disruptive behaviours, creating space for all voices to be heard.
Session: How to not be a prat on a board
Keeping strategy front and centre
Trustees often bring valuable experience from other sectors, but because their exposure to the charity’s day-to-day reality is limited, it can be hard for them to judge what is realistic or achievable. This session focuses on tools and frameworks that help boards set strategies which are bold but grounded, ambitious but practical. With the right approach, strategic discussions can move beyond jargon and keep the organisation’s mission at the heart of every decision.
Session: Strategy that sticks – tools and tips for trustees
Encouraging smart risk-taking
Some trustees default to overcaution, holding back innovation and agility. Others push for bold leaps without grasping the risks. Finding the sweet spot between paralysis and recklessness is vital. This session explores how boards can manage risk in meaningful, mission-focused ways, helping CEOs steer trustees towards decisions that are both courageous and responsible.
Session: Risk it for a biscuit – are trustees playing it too safe?
Prepare for tough times
Times are tough and the pressures charities face can quickly escalate into crises. For trustees it can be challenging to judge how best to respond under pressure. This session shares lessons from boards that have weathered storms – what worked, what they wish they’d done differently, and how CEOs and trustees can work together to steer a steady course through uncertainty.
Session: Crisis? Sorted! A trustee’s toolkit for tough times
The Festival of Trusteeship is part of Trustees’ Week 3-7 November 2025. A weekly pass is £30 while individual events are £12 each with all sessions aimed at aspiring trustees free for all. ACEVO members can get discounted weekly passes for £20 for all 15 sessions using the code DISCOUNT.
